A Little Different
by ENDoftheMUSIC
Summary: What would happen if Kanou bought Ayase without the feeling of love? Story enclosed is what I hope for. Most likely /will/ have lemons. Yaoi; surprise, surprise. HOMARExAyase. Note that it is rated M for a reason.
1. Chapter 1: At First

***Mistakes are fixed, I hope. (I'm so thankful for the Replace button…) I added a little as well. I hope that's fair compensation. ^^;

I must thank PyroTheWereCat, for pointing out the mistake~ (THAT COULD HAVE BEEN FATAL.)

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_What I think…would happen if Kanou bought Ayase; but didn't love him. =\_

_(Knowing my guessing skills—it wouldn't happen. If Kanou didn't love him, he wouldn't have bought him in the first place, yes? He would have no reason to be at that place. If I remember correctly he walked in at the last minute _because_ Ayase was there. So… In this story, Kanou just bought him for the heck of it from whomever would have bought him in the first place.)_

**_DO NOT OWN OKANE GA NAI. _**

**_Warning: _**_No lemon in this chapter, but it[…Ayase] makes [accidental] references with chopsticks. An emo Ayase. D:_

**_Word Count without A/N(s):_**_ 1,940_

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The blonde stood shakily next to the man, his heart pounding. The huge brown-haired brute owned him—and proved it. Sex anytime he wanted…not that he'd let anyone know that. The blonde was never compliant—in fact, he hated every second of the time their bodies were in contact. That contact usually meant throbbing and a near inability to walk in the morning.

"Kuba, your brother is coming with me. Stay here." Kanou stood easily, tossing a disgusted warning glance at the boy beside the chair before leaving the room with the air of a pissed off king.

The blonde lowered his gaze, to see that tears had formed in his eyes, blurring his vision. That revolted look the man had given him hurt more than all the names he used. It just screamed 'prostitute', and the sharp eyes gave the word a whip-like sting.

"Uh…" Homare looked away from the now sobbing boy. Well, yeah, the boss could be kind of harsh…but, jeez, people have to man up if they're living in this kind of world. But…the frail body was more girlish than most girls nowadays—his emotional guard must not be that strong, either. And the way he trembled was pitiful. Legs were locked; using each other as a brace as to not fall, and the boy was in such distress that he let out little screams.

"I-it's my fault…!" He had yelled, finally letting his legs give out. He collapsed onto the ground to cry into his wrists.

Homare felt his stomach churn. Weak, weak, weak, weak, weak…But…so _cute_. Why was a _guy_ so _adorable_!? The man ran a hand through his hair, the sounds of the weeping quieting until they were hushed, but ragged, breaths.

"My fault," He chanted to himself, standing slowly. He'll go even out the score. Being such a burden to other people…something had to be done.

Homare grabbed the blonde's wrist as he tried to wiggle out through the doorway he occupied. "…Where're you going?"

"Just to the bathroom." Soft lips formed the almost inaudible word. Within the dark space between his lips, Homare could see his tongue flicker.

The man instantly let go and looked off to the side. "Go on."

The blonde lowered his gaze again, before heading off towards the bathroom within the building.

_His eyes were…weird,_ Homare found himself thinking. His subconscious mind had seen those dull eyes. 'Windows to the soul' is what the organ for seeing was called. If that was true, then Ayase's windows had been fogged over, denying anyone from seeing any trace of happiness in him. All that somehow got through were the things pressed up against the glass.

Which happened to be sorrow, agony, and loneliness. That hollow look that remained worried Homare.

A crashing sound made the man refocus in the real world. What the hell was that? Kanou and Misao are gone—job—and this building is closed. Could it be that the boy had done it?

The single Kuba twin rushed into the bathroom, to see the mirror shattered and the blonde sitting on the floor in a bed of glass.

"What are you doing!?" He saw the cuts on his palms, going down to his wrists. Man, he worked quick.

Sad eyes looked up at him, somehow showing more life than before. Maybe it was pain that caused it?

"Get over here," Homare demanded, carefully grabbing the boy's wrist. The blonde let out a breathy yelp as he stepped on some glass. "Dammit! Why would you even do that!?"

The man wrapped his arm around the boy's waist, lifting him up and slinging him over his shoulder. Off to the First-Aid kit.

After rinsing out wounds and making sure no more glass was in the confines of skin, Homare wrapped up the cuts.

"Hungry?" He asked as he finished up with the bandages. He tossed them aside carelessly, and instantly corrected himself, picking it up and putting back inside the white box.

The little blonde nodded slowly, the emotions he gave off were that of a bunny's. He was scared witless but endearing nonetheless.

"Well, c'mon." Homare loyally carried the shivering blonde to the extra car and set him in the passenger's seat, buckling him in. As he closed the door and walked to the driver's side, he asked himself, _What am I doing?_

He drove off to a clothing store first—to stare to two shirts with a distraught look on his face as the blonde leaned against him for support. The impatient boy ended up grabbing the long-sleeved turtle-neck and wincing as his wounds hissed at the movement.

Ignoring the weird stares they got, Homare paid for the clothing articles and dragged the limping weight along with him. He heard quiet mumbles and assumed the blonde was just complaining about 'hurt'.

"Why'd you buy these?" He asked as Homare repeated the earlier action of setting the boy in the car. "Your son?"

Homare felt a little pang—ouch.—and shook his head. "Not married." He wiggled his fingers to boast no ring. "I bought them for you; because you aren't going out to a restaurant looking like you decided to wash the dishes with glass."

The blonde stared down at the shirt he had unknowingly picked out. It wasn't at all matching his skin color—yeah, the orange-like color did give him an autumn-y look, but it was winter, and dark out(no light blue to calm the color). So dark that the sky engulfed the stars and clouds. All that was left was the cold air sweeping across the Earth's surface and dancing through its trees.

The boy sighed as Homare started up the car. He looked over at him questioningly before pulling out of the spot he had parked.

As the man drove away, the person next to him started to strip, quickly covering up with the turtle neck and the baggy pants. Both were too big.

_Poor boy,_ Homare thought. He hadn't said anything about the bruises on the malleable skin, due to the fact it was obvious where he had gotten them. Neither of them wanted to talk about something along _those_ lines.

Homare pulled up to an expensive restaurant—once again hearing quite murmurings from the boy. This time he listened.

"Why're you being so nice? You don't have to do anything…I'm not wanted anywhere, anyway…I'm just a burden…"

Homare had flicked his head, catching the boy's surprised attention. "Enough. Putting yourself down isn't going to fix anything."

They were lead to a room with those doors made out of wood and paper—dragons and lagoons decorated both the inside and outside. The blonde sat at the small table, on the little cushion while Homare stood for a moment. He sat when someone walked in.

They—well, more like he. Homare ordered nothing—ordered quickly, sitting across from each other and never making eye contact.

The boy ate the food quickly, his nose red from crying and from the warmth of the ramen. The chicken covered on a cherry red sauce was devoured as well. Who would've known that little boy could eat so much?

A sniffling sound snapped Homare back to attention. "Hm?" He saw the blonde crying again. "Wh-what's wrong!?"

The blonde whined, "It's so sweet and well-made…"

Homare sighed, shaking his head. "…I never did get your name."

"Ayase. Yukiya Ayase. You are Kuba Homare, I know." The blonde poked at the last piece of chicken with the chopsticks he insisted on using. He loved them, even though his hands started to ache when using them for a while. He stared down at the goo-like sauce and licked it away from the tips with a skilled tongue.

Homare gulped, forcing himself to stop watching by staring at the condensation running down the edge of Ayase's glass of water.

"Well…nice to meet you." Ayase said, popping the piece of chicken into his mouth slowly, absent-mindedly. He then stirred together some white rice and that sauce. He smiled slightly at the now pink rice in front of him. "Want some?"

The blonde attempted to pick up the rice with his chopsticks, failed, then gave in and used one of those soup spoons. He held out the spoon with the rice, a hand cupped under it just in case (even though all the grains were securely with the spoon's hold).

Homare leaned in without thinking, allowing himself to be fed by the gentle Ayase. The man wrinkled his nose somewhat at how sweet it was, but nodded as if he liked it. After Homare swallowed the food, they both blinked in surprise.

Did they really just…?

Ayase tensed up, frozen, and Homare grabbed the plate of rice and shoveled it into his mouth, grumbling nervously about 'being able to feed himself' while doing so.

He succeeded in choking and then chugging Ayase's drink, slamming it down on the table with a gasp, the whole while the blonde buzzed around him, mumbled his high-pitched apologies.

What a nice way to start a relationship.

---

Homare glanced around, cautiously, before putting his car in park and turning his shoulder so he was facing Ayase.

"I'm supposed to be gone…But you should be fine, just say you were in the bathroom or something." He advised, unable to untie the knot of worry that grew within his stomach.

Ayase was staring out the window, looking a little uncomfortable. Despite that, he nodded. He reached for the door and tugged at it.

After a moment, he looked back at Homare, looking utterly confused.

"Ahm…How do I…?" The blonde whispered quietly, averting his eyes again.

Homare opened his mouth, unknowingly allowing a chuckle to escape.

Ayase's expression changed to humiliated shock, as he focused on the man again. "D-don't laugh at me!"

Homare waved his hand, trying to dismiss the laughter, gave up, and then grabbed the handle on his side, opening his own door. The blonde quickly turned and shoved his door open, stumbling out with a little gasp.

"Are you okay?" He managed to say, little hiccups of laughter escaping between the words.

"I'm fine!" The blonde looked on the verge of tears—in fact, as milliseconds passed, the salty liquid accumulated, brimming over.

The man slipped out of the car, taking huge strides over to the weeping blonde. He hesitated, wondering what he should do. Hug? Well, that's certainly what he wanted to do. He wanted to wrap his arms around the delicate little bundle of emotions, and squeeze just tight enough to make all the sadness seep away.

Oddly enough, even with that desire to shield him from the shame and hurt in the world, his muscles wouldn't move. He could just stand here, his arms suspended as if there was a force stopping them from enveloping the boy protectively.

When Ayase quieted, he settled into a detached façade, looking void of emotion.

"I'm…going back." He said in a hushed voice, turning and making his way back to the building that harbored the probably confused and frustrated man named Kanou.

Homare stood, still no able to react fully, even when the small blonde disappeared within the confines of the unforgiving. A sick feeling of dread peaking his awareness. He waited.

Waited for Ayase to come running out, crying and screaming for help. To sprint into his open arms, and cling to him.

But nothing happened.

He walked back to his side of the car, and allowed a fleeting look over his shoulder. Still no blonde.

Heaving a sigh, he slipped into the car, putting it back into gear and pressing down on the pedal.

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_This story is kinda dedicated to Onige-a, as well whoever reviews~_

**_Note:_**_ I only know those restaurants things from the stuff we have… IN AMERICA. So, yeah~ I know the paper's name…but I can't remember it at the moment. And I'm an idiot, so I refuse to go look it up. Maybe next time?~ c=_


	2. Chapter 2: At Times

_Chapter Two~_

_THANK YOU SO MUCH. OTL_

_All who reviewed, you have my greatest thanks!  
Anything you wish of me, I will try my hardest to accomplish! -loyal bow-_

_**I do not own Okane Ga Nai.**_

_**Warning:**__ Nothing too bad happens._

_**Word Count without A/N(s): **__1,176 (I feel bad that this is 764 words less than last time.) _OTL

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Both of the Kuba twins stood in front of Kanou's desk, looking blank as he read off a piece of paper, giving orders. When he fell silent, they both bowed and turned to leave.

Homare couldn't help but frown when his back was to the man, the image of Ayase making his stomach churn. Blue eyes were hazed over, lacking an emotion, focused on the ground. The blonde was standing next to Kanou, of course, but his body language—the way he had his head turned slightly away, how his weight was put on the leg opposite of Kanou, how his shoulders were angled an inch to the side—said that he was obviously uncomfortable.

Homare also noticed dark marks along the base of his neck, nearly hidden by his hanging head.

He tried not to think of why they were there.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

With a yawn, Homare sat back in his seat, nearly falling back when Kanou burst through the door.

"Your brother and I are leaving. Take care of Ayase until I get back."

He nodded, standing immediately and bowing as his superior left.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Homare sat, watching Ayase with bewilderment as the blonde stared at the wall. He stared without any trace of emotion in his eyes.

Finally, when he could no longer deal with the silence, the Kuba twin spoke up. "Do you need anything?"

Ayase shook his head, ever so slowly. As if any movement at a normal speed (or faster) would cause his neck to shatter.

"Are you sure?" The expressionless expression the other wore made him want to help, somehow.

Once again, he shook his head. The blonde hair shifting slightly. Half-closed blue eyes focused on what was obstructing their view, and then locked back on the wall.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm just…tired." Ayase said quietly, followed by a sigh.

Homare frowned, "Then you should sleep more."

"I…would. Can't."

Why can't he? Homare's curiosity emerged. "Why not?"

Ayase looked over at him, a woeful tint slipping into his eyes. "I just can't."

"I can't help you if you don't tell me." He knew he wasn't a shrink, but he also knew that talking about what's on your mind might help. Maybe the blonde would get something off his chest and not look so dead.

"You can't help me."

"Nonsense."

Ayase's jaw worked as he started thinking. "You can't…," he mumbled, his hand absentmindedly rubbing at his neck.

The older of the two leaned forward, "Being pessimistic isn't going to get you anywhere. I can help you."

The blonde fidgeted, biting his lower lip as a panic flooded his features. "No, you can't… You can't," tear swarmed those eyes, spilling over, "You can't!"

The blonde stood abruptly, sending his arm out to whack Homare across the face, hysteria apparent. The victim ignored the sting and stood as well, grabbing the other's wrist before any more could happen. The fingers wrapped around his wrist seemed to only push Ayase further into that pool of fear, causing him to scream and try to pull away.

When the blonde realized he could not get his wrists free, his struggling eased, until he was just trembling.

"Stop it!" He yelled through sobs, limply contracting the muscles in his arm to pull down. "Please don't… I don't want to …"

Homare released the other's wrists and watched as Ayase sunk to his knees, too shocked to do anything. What…just happened?

More importantly, what was the blonde doing? His fingers were locked on the knee of Homare's pants—and he was lightly tugging at them.

"I promise I'll be good…," He hiccupped, "J-just don't…"

"Ayase?" Lightly taking Ayase's hands, he dragged them away from his body. His tone was soft. Comforting but lined with worry. "What are you talking about?"

"Kanou-sama…?" The blonde looked up, and blinked. The last of the tears ran down his face and he made a sniffling noise.

"No." Was all he replied with, dropping on his knee to wrap his arms around the trembling blonde. That made him cry again, harder, but it made Homare feel important. The way he gripped his jacket was almost a sign that he trusted the tall raven.

_What has he done to you?_

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

After a few minutes of sobbing, Ayase's breathing slowed and the tears dried up.

Homare allowed the blonde to cling to him even after he had gathered himself. The raven hugged back, trying to be as comforting as possible—but taking the opportunity to lightly sniff the blonde hair.

Ayase seemed oblivious to it, even moving closer to snuggle against the other's chest when he drifted off to sleep.

Homare's head rolled back, followed by a sigh. He had to admit, the kid was a handful. An endearing handful.

He forced himself to not look down at the blonde, forced himself to ignore the soft heartbeat, to ignore the sweet smell.

…with that tinge of Kanou.

He wrinkled his nose. The faint scent of Kanou was on the blonde. It made Homare's stomach twist and his protective instincts flare. Ayase was obviously emotionally wounded—though he probably hid any physical injuries—and he was certain it was because of his boss.

The raven slipped into his thoughts. What exactly had his boss done to cause that emotional break-down? Will he continue doing whatever he was doing?

In an instance, he decided what he was going to do.

"Hey, Ayase," He said quietly, lightly shaking the sleep form.

Blue eyes slowly opened, blinked a few times, and then looked up drowsily, a sweet smile spreading his lips. "…Yes?"

"I have a question."

"Okay."

"About the Boss…"

"Kanou-sama?"

"Ye—uff!" Homare let out a grunt when a startled Ayase dove off the Kuba twin's lap, managed to kick him in the stomach and the groin. He wrapped his arm around his stomach and leaned over himself, seeing stars. "Ow!"

"K-Kanou-sama! I—it…N-nothing happened!" The blonde stuttered defensively, his eyes wide and locked behind the raven. He looked terrified, sick.

"Oh?" Instantly, Homare understood what was happened. Kanou was back. "So what were you doing?"

"I…we…," Ayase's lips trembled as he spoke, his knees joining in the shaking. He was freezing up.

Homare stood, facing Kanou. He saw the domineering glare but kept his composure. "You said to tend to Ayase. So I did. He was tired and he was cold—but there weren't any blankets, so I allowed him to sleep in my lap. I was only hugging him so that he didn't fall off and hurt himself."

"Eh?" The hurt sound erupted from the blonde. Homare ignored it, looking down as to not challenge the beast in front of him.

"…Is that so. Why, exactly, was he tired?"

Homare scowled inwardly, knowing that Kanou meant 'using' his 'possession'. For the moment, he suppressed the images of Ayase that started to flood his mind, then made eye contact with his boss. "You tell me."

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_Ayase uses '-sama' with Kanou's name not out of respect, but because he's forced to. I figured if Kanou was different, Ayase would be somewhat changed and he wouldn't use the same honorific.  
Also, when I use 'raven' I am referring to his hair color, not an actual bird. xD;_


	3. Chapter 3: At Last

_Alrigh'! Chapter Three~! It's more…light-hearted?…and sexual than the last._

_**Warnings:**__ Third chapter and there's already contact? I guess I couldn't hold back. ;9 (That means there is touching, grinding, licking, etc. This story IS rated 'M', so I hope everyone reading knew what they were getting into. _OTL_)_

_**Word Count without A/N(s)**__: 1,543 (367 more than last time!)_

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After a couple of days and multiple strings of death-threats, Kanou ignored the incident he had walked in on, and Homare was more than happy to not bring it up. Ayase, though, seemed bothered. He would stare at the Kuba twin he had grown to look up to with a hurt expression, one that made Homare want to apologize for whatever he did.

But, though Kanou overlooked the event, he still changed things to make sure it didn't happen again. Ayase would travel with him, or Homare would instead of Misao. So the raven never had a chance to find what was wrong and make amends.

So, they continued to exchange silent glances to each other when they passed, but never spoke a word.

One day, as Homare was being given his orders, he noticed something different about Ayase. He stood with his arms limp and head hung. He swayed a little when Kanou tapped him and demanded something—water, was it? After a pause the blonde slowly left the room, acknowledging no one.

Homare finally was dragged into focus when Kanou said loudly, "I have decided to take Misao with me. You had better not touch Ayase!"

With that, he stormed out of the room, followed by Misao. And, _bam!_ Homare was left alone. _Finally._

"Here is your…," Ayase's quiet voice trailed off as he opened the door to notice that no one—other than Homare—was there. "What happened to them?"

"They're gone." The raven stated in reply.

"…Oh." He looked down at the cup in his hands, filled with water. He then brought it to his mouth and chugged it greedily, letting it run down the side of his face to trail down the muscle* along his neck to his clavicle. When he finished downing the cup's contents, he let out his lung's contents in the form of a loud sigh.

"Are you okay?" Homare inquired lightly.

The blonde nodded for a moment, then shook his head. "I'm only allowed water when Kanou-sama thinks my mouth is dry enough."

Horror settled in the Kuba twin's stomach. _What?_ "How…does he know?"

"He tests it." The blonde was staring at the cup in his shaking hands, unable to look at Homare.

Homare crossed the room within moments, wrapping his arms around the blonde. He felt responsible—if he had not been kept away from the blonde, maybe he could have protected him from the lusty beast.

He waited for Ayase to start crying, as he usually did, and was surprised when all he did was stay silent, his arms still at his sides.

"I'm hungry," The younger whispered after a moment.

The Kuba twin closed his eyes, then released, stepping back. "What do you wish to eat?"

"Rice. Bread. Anything." He stated, licking his lips.

Homare nodded, and then they were off.

_ _ _ _ _ _

After getting in the car and taking Ayase to the restaurant they had gone to before, he allowed the blonde to order whatever he wanted. This turned out to be rice with that same sauce and a few plates of sushi. Homare had told them 'surprise me' earning him some sort of sautéed food he couldn't recognize—but it smelled delicious. He ate a few bites and was happy with the taste, but was too mesmerized by the blonde to eat much.

The way Ayase wolfed down the food was a sight to behold; he managed to eat quickly chew and swallow as he decided on what to eat next. Homare found himself again surprised that he could eat that much. He was also surprised that the blonde didn't choke.

Maybe his throat was—

"How is it?" Homare interrupted his thoughts, the innocent smile hiding the dirty mind within his skull.

"It's good. Thank you," Ayase stopped eating to say that, then resumed.

Homare thought about what to say, and finally let out a little gasp when he remembered something. "Oh! Before, you were looking at me funny. I wanted to say sorry if I've done anything wrong."

Ayase blinked, looking confused, then swallowed his next bite and put down his chopsticks, "Oh, its okay. Ahm…It's just that… You said you were just doing what you were told to… So it didn't mean anything?"

Homare frowned. He knew what he meant—the hug excuse. The raven could tell by looking at the blonde that he couldn't handle anymore false emotions, any more people trying to get at him just for sex.

Good thing Homare wasn't one of those people.

"No, I was being selfish, it wasn't meaningless."

" 'Selfish'?"

"Yes. I blurted out something I shouldn't have without thinking of you first. I apologize for that."

Ayase looked down, a nice blush settling over his cheeks. He picked up another piece of sushi and stuffed it in his mouth, too embarrassed to say anything in reply. He settled on a sharp nod.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _

Ayase was nestled against the leather seat, with the seat-warmers turned on. His butt was nice and toasty, and the air coming out of the vents was moderately warm, heating up his nose which was being cooled by the ice cream cone he held. His knees were tucked up against his chest, and his arms found their place beside his legs. The blonde carelessly licked at the ice cream, smearing the top of it with his lips, and sucking away until an Oreo was revealed. He pulled it out with his teeth, looking quite content.

Homare, not very fond of ice cream, focused his stare on the road. His gaze was so intent he could have seen an accident from a mile away. But he couldn't help but see Ayase out of the side of his eye. Why the hell was the blonde so good at unconsciously teasing!?

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Homare lead Ayase in, helping the blonde along the way. He seemed to have eaten too much, and was suffering from a slightly upset stomach.

After making it back, he set the blonde down on the couch, and then sat down next to him. He leaned back against the cushions, feeling the stress melt away. He listened to Ayase—hearing him make quiet sounds as he suppressed the groans of discomfort.

Medicine, then. The Kuba twin stood slowly, walking off for the first aid kit. They must have something for stomachaches in there…if not, it might be hidden in Kanou's desk or something. Somewhere in the building.

"H-hey…!" Ayase's voice made Homare stop walking, and turn around. He started to say 'yes?' but quieted when he saw the blonde right behind him. "U-uh… Thank you." He fidgeted, and then slipped his arms under the raven's, hugging him.

And just like that, whatever was holding Homare back, crumbled.

He gripped Ayase's chin, and tilted it up, pressing their lips together to push his tongue into the blonde's mouth, savoring the flavor of the other. The blonde let out a gasp as teeth lightly skimmed over his jaw to his neck, sending a shiver sweeping through him.

"Ngh…," He tried to bite back the sounds he made when an invading hand slipped under his shirt, running fingers over his ribs and massaging his waist.

Homare knew the other was holding back noise, and was determined to get more sounds out of him. He ran his thumbs over the lines formed by the stomach curving into the groin**, the muscle within his mouth working at the skin covering the external jugular.

Soon the blonde was squirming, his chest heaving as the hands groped at everything but the vital areas. Homare's knee suddenly pushed against the blonde's erection, eliciting a moan. Both bodies rubbed against the other, their mouths meeting again to twine their tongues. When Ayase's head rolled back, the raven just kissed the underside of the blonde's jaw, nibbling lightly.

And just as Homare's hand delved into the wiggling form's pants, the door burst open.

A little enraged, he tossed a glare in the direction, and instantly regretted it. There was Kanou, a look of shock and hatred on his face. A short, yet fat, man with a little bit of white hair on his jaw—lacking any on his head—stood beside him, wide-eyed.

"I…see we interrupted something." Misao observed blandly.

"Ooh my~!" The stranger said…strangely. Homare was so taken aback that the fierce glower on his face disappeared.

"I, uh…" He said, looking back at the blonde who was still panting and clinging, his eyes closed and face and neck reddened. Seemingly ignorant of the people at the door. "…Was cleaning his neck?"

"That one!" The newcomer exclaimed, point to Homare.

"Excuse me?" Both Homare and Kanou said in unison, though Kanou's was more of a yelled snap than a confused question.

"Forget the blonde—my daughter needs a strong man! An assertive one. He seems to be good-looking, so the genes passed on will make fine children!"

Homare, still in the position he was in before they came, stared at the man, open-mouthed. "…What are you saying?"

Kanou rubbed his forehead, growling through his teeth, "He wants to buy you."

"E-ehhh!?" Ayase finally seemed to notice the company.

* * *

_*The muscle is the sternocleidomastoid—but the word seemed misplaced in the sentence, but using 'the muscle' seemed to vague to me. (Thus this explanation.)_

_**I actually hunted for the name of that (and was quite disturbed by some findings). I do not regret my quest for the knowledge, but I do regret wounding my mind that way. xD_

_How was this chapter~? It was fun to write! Although the guy with the too-small-to-be-considered-a-beard beard scares me. Bet you didn't expect the ending! _


	4. Chapter 4: In Progress

_I always talk too much in these. (A/Ns)_

_**Warning:**__ Well, no smex. Would you get mad at me if someone not in the original series was in this? You could call her an 'OC'… (Though, personally, I wish I had come up with a male instead of her.)_

_**Word Count without A/N(s): **1,393 (150 less)_

_**

* * *

**_

"This is why I didn't take you with me. You'd just step in and make him not want to buy Ayase."

"But I wouldn't have made him buy me!" Homare was shocked enough to yell his defense, mumbling a short and half-hearted apology when Kanou's stare grew threatening.

"Either way, if you had listened to orders, you wouldn't be in this situation. But, at least I can't kill you for that contact now that you're owned by a person with high rank."

The Kuba twin frowned, making a sound of disapproval. "So you sold me?"

"Yes."

He closed his hands into fists, clenching his jaw tight before turning and walking out of Kanou's office. He flopped down into the first chair he saw and rubbed his face, trying to work away the wrinkles that had formed due to his now-constant scowl.

What was he? Some sort of sperm-donor!? Homare rolled his head back, gripping the arms of the chair tightly to leash his emotions.

"…Kuba-san?" The light voice made Ayase's image jump to mind.

"Yes?" He replied, his eyes focused on the ceiling. He couldn't bring himself to look the blonde in the eye.

"I'm Akane*." Homare's head snapped back into place, surprised. 'Akane'?

Well, the person standing in front of him was, indeed, not Ayase. Though she seemed like him. She was just as small, with that same soft smile. Only her face was purely foreign and rounded, with light freckles running over the bridge of her nose. The mass of reddish wavy hair was carelessly pulled back, leaving curly strands to border her face and neck. She was slim, as Ayase was, but her chest was moderate in size. She seemed confident enough to wear a revealing brown shirt, yet self-conscious of her lower half, which bore quite the large set of hips nearly hidden by an ankle-length black skirt.

"Who're you?"

"Akane—"

"No, I meant—"

"Oh, I'm Kawaguchi-san's daughter. Well, I guess I shouldn't call him that, but I assume that's what you know him as… I—oh, the look you're giving me says you don't know him. He's the bald one, he came here to buy me a husband—though I assure you I don't want him to force anyone! In fact, I…I already have someone! But father doesn't approve. Oh! Listen to me ramble on! I'm sorry! I, uh—oh my gosh!" She spun around as Misao tapped her shoulder, opening his mouth to say something. Instead, she cut him off with nervous laughter, "Oh! You're twins! Y-you're…Homare-san?" She pointed at Misao, then switched. Then pointed back at Misao. "Oh, I don't know! I'm really, really sorry! Could you just…?"

Homare sighed, thinking, _She really does fit her last name._** "I'm Homare, he's Misao."

She laughed again. It still sounded nervous, but it was light and a little relieving, taking some of anger away from Homare.

"Miss, I was told to inform you to get acquainted with my brother. You and your father will be leaving soon. With Homare."

Homare set his jaw again as his brother bowed and walked away.

Akane turned around, "As I was saying before we were interrupted—I will try my hardest to convince my father to release you!" She bowed now, looking extremely sincere and determined.

Homare leaned forward then stood, waiting until she looked up to say, "Your father holds a high rank. Why do you dress as a commoner would?"

Akane straightened and looked down at herself, smiling sweetly, "I dress like a commoner? I believe you are mistaken; I dress like myself."

Homare let out a grunt as he ran his fingers through his hair. "Akane. I'll help you convince your father and help you get back to your love. What must we do."

Akane's golden brown eyes brightened, "We just have to refuse to touch each other. Simple really—maybe we can act like you abuse me, and knowing father, he'll toss you out."

The raven paused. Act like a barbarian. Seems easy enough. He smiled, finally, and nodded. "Got it."

_ _ _ _ _ _ _

Homare arrived at his temporary home via limo. It was quite extravagant, and he was offered gifts to welcome him (though he turned them all down). Kawaguchi observed his daughter's and the Kuba twin's interaction—but to no avail. They neither looked at each other nor spoke a word, sitting with as much space as possible between them.

When they did pull up to a circular pavilion with a fountain in the middle, Homare put on a glower and practically threw himself out of the vehicle, slamming the door behind him.

A shrill yelp made him jump and spin around, to see what it was. Akane was crawling out of the limousine, rubbing her forehead. He must've hit her with the door. A small pang of guilt went with his heartbeat, but he quickly snuffed it out, looking away.

"Are you alright?" Her father asked.

"Of course," She said politely, before sucking a breath in through her teeth. "…not! I-I'm in pain! It's his fault!"

Holding the back of her palm to her head, she directed her finger at Homare, who stood silently—resisting the urge to slam his hand against his face at the pathetic attempt at acting.

Her father seemed to buy it, though.

"He will be punished and taught manners! You, there—" the man motioned at a nearby guard, who obviously wasn't buying her act, "—help my daughter into the house. Get a medic to check her."

'House'? Homare turned and looked at the 'house', only to find a pearly mansion towering over him. There were large stairs leading up to the massive doors that were being opened for Akane. He stared at it, shocked but not letting it show on his face. He was ushered in, and then was shown to his—er, 'their'—room. It was obvious that it had Akane's best interest in mind. There were stuffed animals and a harp as well as a huge balcony over-looking a massive garden.

Homare stood in the middle of the white room with that large white bed, and…waited. As he did so, he thought. What was happening to Ayase? What was Kanou doing to the helpless blonde?

He hadn't thought of it before, but now that he had, he regretted not fighting to stay back. Hopefully Ayase had pulled out the 'I was forced' card…

"He wouldn't do that, the idiot…" Homare said under his breath, walking over to the bed to collapse on it. He knew the blonde, and he knew that he probably made a comment about Homare being more thoughtful of his wants at the time.

Though he wasn't… He was paying more attention to his own. But if that was what the blonde was snapping with, it made Homare feel a little bit better. That would mean the blonde is standing up for himself—maybe to the wrong person, but at least he's gaining confidence—and it would also mean that the blonde didn't mind the advance. Maybe he should try more…

"Homare-san?" The Kuba twin jolted up, surprised. The room spun for a moment, then stilled. Akane was standing in front of him. "You were sleeping? You drooled on the blankets!"

Honestly, he was puzzled. He blinked, trying to decode the sudden change of personality. Was she acting that whole time!?

Then he noticed the father eyeing them in the doorway. Akane gave Homare a hopeless look, then made a pouting face and cross her arms with a 'hmph!' Turning up her nose, she stormed out of the room.

Her father didn't follow. Instead, he crossed his own arms and walked in, looking around the room as if he were searching for anything missing. Finally, he spoke.

"What is with this sudden behavior?" Homare remained silent. "It will not be tolerated."

Suddenly, the nice demeanor faded, revealing a hateful glare rivaling Kanou's. Ice blue eyes dared to be challenged.

With a twisting feeling in his gut, he treated the man as he would treat Kanou when Ayase was threatened. "You're not in the position to make such comments. Your daughter's wellbeing is in my hands."

With that he stood and exited the room, leaving the man to seethe and—hopefully—make arrangements for Homare to go back.

* * *

_*The name Akane is written with the character for 'madder' or 'red dye' (from what I've found). (Though I used it in the form of 'aka' meaning red and 'ne' meaning sound). I used 'red' to help create the character's appearance and then 'sound' to help with deciding her voice (which resembles Ayase's). What's ironic is the romaji for it: Akane, Okane? Eh, eh~? And 'Akane' seems like a mix of 'Ayase' and 'Okane'._

_**Kawaguchi. 'Kawa' meaning river, and 'guchi' meaning mouth. Homare is making fun of Akane's nervous blabbering. He knows it's supposed to mean 'the _mouth_ of a _river_', but I make him use it the other way to add [lame] HUMOR~_

_DUN DUN DUNNNNN. And, in case you're wondering, this does hold importance to the over-all plot. Without this family here, then a future part of the story wouldn't fit right. _


End file.
